The Kansas City Chiefs will kick off the new NFL season on 'Monday Night Football' against the Denver Broncos on September 14. This highly anticipated matchup will mark the first game for Travis Kelce as Taylor Swift's husband, while star quarterback Patrick Mahomes faces a desperate race to be healthy for Week 1 after suffering a major knee injury last season.
Announcement and Schedule Details
ESPN's lead play-by-play commentator Joe Buck made the announcement during an appearance on 'Good Morning America' on Tuesday. This comes after three games were announced on Monday, ahead of the full schedule being unveiled on Thursday.
Other Key Games Revealed
The Buffalo Bills' first regular-season game in their new stadium will be against the Detroit Lions on September 17, kicking off Amazon Prime's 'Thursday Night Football' schedule. The Bills are one of 10 teams with new coaches this season, as Joe Brady takes over after Sean McDermott was fired following nine seasons. The game will feature two of the top quarterbacks in the league, with Josh Allen hosting Jared Goff and the Lions. Detroit is looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs last season.
The NFL has traditionally used Week 2 to showcase new stadiums in a primetime game.
Cowboys and Giants Highlights
The Dallas Cowboys were part of the other two unveilings. They will visit the New York Giants in the first NBC 'Sunday Night Football' of the season on September 13, and they will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Fox on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. This is the eighth time in the past 15 years the Cowboys and Giants are opening the season against each other. It also marks the 15th time the NFC East rivals are meeting on 'Sunday Night Football', the second-most played matchup since NBC started the package in 2016.
Dallas is always a national television draw as 'America's Team', and New York could get more primetime exposure with Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh in his first year coaching the Giants and Jaxson Dart established as the franchise quarterback coming off his eventful rookie year. This also could be the NFL debuts for a pair of former Ohio State teammates: Giants linebacker Arvell Reese, taken with the fifth pick, and Cowboys safety Caleb Downs, drafted not long after at No. 11.
Thanksgiving Game Tradition
This will be only the third time, and first since 2014, that the Eagles will be the Cowboys' Thanksgiving opponent. Dallas has won its past four Thanksgiving games, including a 31-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last year. The late afternoon Thanksgiving game is traditionally the most viewed of the regular season. Last year's game averaged 57.23 million viewers on CBS, making it the most-watched regular-season game in league history. This will be the second straight season Philadelphia will have the spotlight on Thanksgiving week. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles hosted last year's Black Friday game and lost to the Chicago Bears 24-15.
Monday's announcements mean the Cowboys know the dates for three of their 17 games. It was announced a couple of weeks ago their game in Rio de Janeiro against the Baltimore Ravens will take place in Week 3 on September 27 and air on CBS. Dallas at New York in Week 1 also means neither of those teams will be the visitor at Seattle on September 9, when the defending champion Seahawks unveil their Super Bowl banner and kick off the season. Chicago, Arizona, and the Los Angeles Chargers or a title-game rematch against New England are the remaining possibilities.
